Part P

What is part P?

Doing the work yourself or using a non registered electricianSince the introduction of part P by the Government in 2005, most types of electrical work carried out in a domestic installation is now notifiable to Building Control of your local council by law. Although you can still undertake the work yourself or employ someone who is not part P registered, you must inform your local Building Control officer of the work before the work is started. Before the work is started a Building Control Officer will view the work to be completed, and you will have to pay a Building Control fee to register the work. On completion the work will be tested by a part P registered service, and if the work has been installed correctly to current electrical & building regulations, you will receive a Building Control certificate. If the work is found not to be installed correctly, Building Control can insist on the work being done again at your expense.

Using a part P registered electricianBy far the best way is to employ a part P registered electrician or company, who will be able to start straight away and will save you money on notification fees. A registered electrician or company knows all of the regulations and will be able to supply you with an electrical certificate on completion, plus complete the notification process for you. All registered companies must have public liability insurance and some also have indemnity insurance, where as an unregistered electrician may not. If you use an unregistered electrician who does not have insurance, you will not be able to claim against them, if they do something wrong or give you bad advice. In order to maintain our reputation, Bretland Electrical Contractors guarantee that any qualified electrician on the Wirral that is sent to our customers will be a part P registered electrician.

What will happen if I do the work myself, and don't inform Building Control of the work?Yes you could do the notifiable work yourself and not notify Building Control, but you will be found out in time and could be fined up to £5000, and your insurance could become invalid. During a periodic test & inspection, we have to note down on the certificate the last test date, if there are any certificates available, and if there has been any additions or alterations to the installation. If there has been any and you cannot supply a certificate for them, you could be found guilty of not complying with part P of the Building Regulations. Since 2004 there have been new cable colours and it is against the law to use the old colours, so now it is even easier to find out where alterations and additions have occurred.

What happens if I use an unregistered electrician?When you employ an unregistered electrician on the Wirral to complete notifiable work, the work must be informed to Building Control before the work starts. It is the owner, landlord or person ordering the work responsibility to notify all notifyable work to Building Control. It is also against the law for an unregistered electrician on the Wirral to complete notifiable work, without informing Building Control, unless they are working for a part P registered company. An employee of a part P registered company cannot complete any notifiable work unless they are completing it for the part P registered company they work for. An unregistered electrician on the Wirral is not even allowed to complete notifiable work on their own house, unless Building Control are informed. Always check your electrician is a member of an approved part P electrical scheme, or works for a company who is. You can check if an electrician on the Wirral is a member of a scheme, by going on their scheme provider’s website member search. If you check an electrician out and do not find their details on their provider’s website, give them a call to tell them the electrician is committing fraud.

The price of notifying all notifyable workThe price of notifying all Building work & Electrical work can be found out at your local council offices or on your local council website. But it is far cheaper to use a qualified registered trades person to notify, than notify the work yourself.On the Wirral, the price of notifying electrical work by a non-registered person is approximately £150 for all work under £2000 in total. For a part P registered company to notify electrical work, it is considerably cheaper than £150. Bretland Electrical Services is able to notify all electrical work to your local council.

Industrial & Commercial Electrical WorkAll non domestic electrical work can be carried out by any electrician, but the electrician should be competent in their job. They must also be able to complete all work, to the Electrical Regulations BS7671, Building Regulations and the Electricity at work regulations.

Periodic Testing & InspectionsAll electrical installations require a periodic test & inspection at regular intervals, to check the installation is safe to use, identify any defects or non-compliance of regulations, and there is protection from fire.

Landlords A landlord is required to provide a tenant with an electrical installation in good condition and repair. The landlord should maintain the installation in a condition suitable for the use intended, and ensure that repairs are undertaken by a competent person. Electrical installations should be tested and inspected at regular intervals, and should be inspected and tested on change of occupant and or change of use. Don't forget, Bretland Electrical Services also carry out all periodic Inspection Reports.

Tenants A tenant has the duty to ensure that those parts of the installation that are his or her responsibility are maintained in a safe condition, and to ensure that repairs are carried out only by a competent, registered electrician on the Wirral..